Machine for making bags from a continuous web



March 17, 1959 s. M. BODOLAY ET AL 2,877,609

MACHINE FOR MAKING BAGS FROM A CONTINUOUS WEB Filed Sept. 17, 1957 12Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENIDRS; EltEPhEn M-EEH5.EI1'I;L William A Ec1dn1 uy'BYJE I g g March 17, 1959 s. M. BODOLAY ET AL MACHINE FOR MAKING BAGSFROM A CONTINUOUS WEB Filed Sept. 17, 1957 12 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVEMURQS.-E r: d :1111 William. A-EU flmlu .Eiephen M March 17, 1959 M. BODOLAYET AL MACHINE FOR MAKING BAGS FROM A CONTINUOUS WEB l2 Sheets-Sheet 4Filed Sept. 17, 1957 INVENTURS. hsn I LE tidal-:1.

William. A-E1 r: 5:111:

March 17, 1959 Su M. BODOLAY' ETAL 2,877,609

MACHINE FOR MAKING BAGS FROM A CONTINUOUS WEB Filed Sept. 17, 1957 I2Sheets-Sheet 5- llllllllih 'l/l/lllllll INVENTDRS March 17, 1959 S. M.BODOLAY ETAL MACHINE FOR MAKING BAGS FROM A CONTINUOUS WEB Filed Sept.17, 1957 12 Sheets-Sheet 6 will inn-L A.#& :1 i lgy' March 17, 1959 s.M. BODOLAY ET AL 2,877,609 I MACHINE FOR MAKING BAGS FROM A CONTINUOUSWEB Filed Sept. 17, 1957 12 Sheets-Sheet 7 MACHINE FOR MAKING BAGS FROMA CONTINUOUS WEB Filed Sept. 17, 1957 March 17, 1959 s. M. BODO'LAY ETAL'12 Sheets-Sheet 8 m/BNToRs. .itsphs n M.'Bc1du1uy William. A-ECJ5DIMarch 17, 1959 s. M. BODOLAY ETAL MACHINE FOR MAKING BAGS FROM ACONTINUOUS" WEB l2 S heets-Sheet 9 Filed Sept. 17, 1957 INVENTORS. itephn MZEuc'Luluy W111 l'um A .El :1 rln'lu s. M. BODOLAY ET AL 2,877,609

Marc 17, 1959 "MACHINE FOR MAKING BAGS FROM A CONTINUOUS WEB Filed Sept.17, 1957 12 Sheets-Sheet 10 4 mmvrwes- .icsphan M Emd r n ly William AEua l;y

March 17, 1959 5. M. BODOLAY ETAL 2,877,609

' MACHINE FOR MAKING BAGS FROM A CONTINUOUS WEB Filed Sept. 17, 1957 12Sheets-Sheet 11 William Alain WKENTORS. 5 Lephen M..EDdi1Ey March 17,1959 s. M. BODOLAY ETAL 2,877,609

MACHINE on MAKING BAGS FROM A couwzmuous WEB Filed Sept. 17, 1957 12Sheets-Sheet 12 MENIDRS.

.5 tephsn M Ei: duluy,

Willium- A El Dflfiljgf a 2,877,609 Patented Mar. 17, 1959 MACHINE FORMAKENG BAGS FROM 'CONTINUQUS WEB Stephen M. Bodolay and William A.Bodolay, Springfield, Mass.

Application September 17, 1957, Serial No. 684,508

17 Claims. (Cl. 53-28) This invention is concerned with a new and novelmachine for forming pouches or bags for certain specified items from aweb, and for sealing said items within the bags without distorting orinterfering with the web.

Particularly this invention is concerned with a machine that makes abag, opens the bag or pouch, seals the bag or pouch, and then severs orcuts the pouch from a long group of previously formed pouches.

The principal objects of the within invention is to provide an apparatusthat will on one machine form a pouch or bag of a previously determinedsize so that there Will be a substantial saving in time and labor.

Another object of the within invention is to provide a machine forforming a pouch or bag wherein it is imposs'ible that any damage canoccur to the subject matter or item that is placed within the pouch.There is still another object of the within invention to provide amachine for making bags and pouches which may utilize any type ofmaterial that has the qualities of being able to be heat-sealed.

It is an additional object of the within invention to provide a machinethat forms the pouch or bag from a continuous web or roll of sheetmaterial, and that does not cut or separate the pouches or bags from thesheet material entirely until such time as the bag or pouch has beenfilled and completely closed.

It is yet another object of the within invention to provide means in abag making machine for varying the speed of operation so that the speedmay be synchronized to the ability of the feed mechanism or the personmaking the insertion of the contents into the pouch. It is contemplatedthat the feed may be automatic or semi-automatic and accordingly theoperation of the machine depends upon the ability of the feed to insertthe subject matter into the pouch.

It is still another object of the within invention to provide a bag orpouch making machine that has a means for varying the size of the bag orpouch to be formed. I It is still an additional object of the withininvention to provide a machine that forms a pouch or bagv that is sealedso that it is impervious to the elements. It is contemplated that thematerial used in the bag will have impervious characteristics. In theevent that the material employed in making the bag is not of that type,it is contemplated that the sealing means in the within machine will, inany event, prevent dust and dry types of external forces from gainingadmittance to the bag. Conversely, the bag that is formed by the withinmachine lends itself to vacuum type packaging. Likewise, the bag also.lends itself to the type of packaging Where gases, or lubricant whenrequired, may be inserted therein and sealed.

An additional object of the within invention is to provide a method informing many bags or pouches and at margin cut and the bags eventuallysevered from each other.

Another feature of the within invention is an arrangement of clamps thatclamp and also other clamps that move and clamp so that the Web may becontrolled at all times, and further so that the web as it is formedinto a pouch or bag is automatically held open, and after insertion ofthe subject matter or goods is automatically closed, moved to the nextsucceeding position, and finally severed from the web.

An additional object of the within invention is the ability of thesealed bag to retain air, or tobe slightly inflated. This creates aslight pressure on the inside of the bag and prevents the contentswithin the bag from becoming crushed or damaged.

Another object of this invention is the ability of the bag resilient anddistorted to various shaped contents below the clamps without distortingthe alignment of the connected web.

The above objects and other objects are obtained by the use of a machinethat forms the web or film material into a fold whereby it is fed alongthe machine; and as it is fed, segments of the web are sealed. Thesegments are cut vertically to a point below the horizontalsurface sothat each segment of the roll is in a sense a separate. bag, but stillis connected to the other segments by means. of a marginal area whichwill hereinafter be explained in detail. After the segment or bag hasbeen scaled vertically and fed along the machine, the two side surfacesare open so as to form an open pouch or bag. The contents maybe theninserted manually or automatically, and at the same time to have thesebags or pouches of the exact that point the segment or bag is fed to afew more positions before it. is ultimately sealed tight around itsupper edge and at the same time the marginal area that has not beenpreviously cut and which has connected it to the previous bags orsegments is finally severed and the finished bag with its contents isdropped down into a chute ready for ultimatedelivery or packaging.

Many other objects and advantages of the within invention will beapparent as the specification is followed and understood, and the novelfeatures of the apparatus are more particularly pointed out anddisclosed in the following detailed description, in which:

Figure 1. is a perspective view of the machine showing the front thereofand also the right side.

Figure 2 is a schematic view of the feed or Web of the machine as itpasses from one position to the next and ultimately to the concludingposition.

Figure 3 is also a schematic view, but of the side elevational view ofFigure 2.

v Figure 4 is a top plan view of the last sealer assembly in its openposition.

Figure 5 is a schematic view in plan showing the motion of thereciprocating clamp assembly.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the pouch opening assembly.

Figure 7 is a planview of the stationary clamp assembly.

Figure 8 is a schematic view in plan of the primary sealer assembly.

Figure 9 is a side elevational view of the view shown in Figure 4.

Figure 10 is a side elevational view of the view shown in Figure 5.

Figure 11 is a side elevational' view of the view shown in Figure 6.

Figure 12 is a side elevational' view of the view shown in Figure 7.

Figure 13 is a side elevational view of the primary sealer assembly asshown in Figure 8.

Figure 14 is a perspective view of the conventional type foldingassembly for the roll or web of material.

Figure 15' is aside el'eva'tional view of the pouch or bag after it hasbeen severed by the cuttingof the final sealer assembly which is shownin Figure 4.

Figure 16 is a side elevational view of the pouch or bag as it is beingformed after it has been sealed by the prima'ry'assembly unit as shownin Figure 8, but which unit provides a cutter that does not cut all theway but 'that leaves a margin as shown and cuts parallel to the T Figure19 is a perspective view ofthe rear of the machine and also showing theleft side of the machine. Figure 20 is a perspective view showing theright side of the machine and-featuring the web feed mechanism.

Figure 2] is a top perspective view of the portion of the machinedisclosing the reciprocating clamp assembly and the last sealerassembly.

Figure 22 is a side perspective view of the rear of the machine showingin more detail the transmission mecha- '-nism and the primary sealeractuating mechanism.

Figure 23 is a top perspective view showing in more detail the top ofthe primary sealer assembly, the statio'nary clamp assembly, the feedingstations, and the reciprocating clamp assembly and the last sealerassembly. "Figure 24 is a top plan view of the motion converting systemfor the primary sealing assembly.

Figure 25 is a rear elevationalview of the entire' machine.

Figure 26 is aschematic view of the transmission and m otio'n system ofthe machine.

ACHINE FRAME In the embodiment disclosed herein the machine is mountedupon a base 1. In order to support various moving parts of the machine,a particular type of frame has been designed. A front post 2 connectswith a front post strut 8 which is interconnected with another frontsupport post 2. Post 2'is normally mounted on the base Land in anyinstance where the roll is of a longer size because of the desired widthor dimension of the material that is employed for making the bag, it isnecessary occasion'ally to have a wider dimension between the twosupport posts 2. Accordingly in the embodiment shown a front post arm 13has been employed to extend out from the base 1 in order to properlysupport the front post 2. A short distance away from the post 2 are thevertical center support posts 3. The center support posts 3 connectswith the center post top strut 18 which is interconnected with the webfeed outboard post 4. The

paper feed outboard post 4 makes a right angle and is interconnectedwith the lower side strut 5. An upper strut 6 interconnects the members4 and 2 and with the member 5 forms a rectangular shape frame. A similararrangement may be seen by looking at the views of Figures 19 and 25. Ahorizontal tie strut 7 interconnects the members 4 in the front and inthe rear.

The rear support post 9 is vertical and mounted upon base 1. Itinterconnects with the horizontal track 11, and also with the rollerrack support 10. The rear anchor support bar 17 interconnects the framemember 11 with the rear support post 9 and is employed as an anchor forthe lower end of diagonal support member 12.

The bracket 14 is the center anchor support for the overlap bar 10. Ateither end of overlap bar 10 are the rear anchor supports 16 and thecenter anchor 3.

At one end of the bar 10 is the rear anchor support 16. Between thecenter anchor support 14 and the bar 10 is the center anchor support bar15 which holds up bar 10. An additional bracket 19 supports and steadieshousing 57 mounted on bracket support 77.

THE MOTOR AND TRANSMISSION SYSTEM tional electric motor with anelectrical cord 69 that has a preferred horsepower of It can be easilyseen, of course, in the views of Figure 1, and Figure 25. It is alsoaccessible in the view of Figure 20. On the end of the motor shaft ofmotor 25 is the motor pulley 26. Circumscribing the motor pulley 26 isthe motor belt 27. The belt 27 circumscribes the worm driving pulley 28.The worm driving pulley is mounted on a worm drive shaft 29. The wormdrive shaft 29 enters into the worm transmission gear box 30. This gearbox 30 is a stepdown transmission system from 20:1. The mechanicaladvantage gained in this gear box is about 30 horsepower. Connectinginto the gear box 30 is the main drive shaft 31. This can be very easilyseen in the view of Figures 25, 18, 19 and particularly in the view ofFigure 22.

The main drive shaft 31 has at its end a crank '33 The crank 33 isinserted into the paper feed oscillating arm 32'which has an elongatedopening therein. In the elongated opening of the arm 32 there is a crank"stud 52. Proximate the gear box 30 there is a solenoid box operation ofthe machine.

This will be explained in more detail hereinafter.

Mounted on shaft31 is a sealer cam 50. The sealer cam 50 actuates thesealer cam lever 35 which in turn moves the teeth or tooth segment 35a.This can'be seen in the view of Figure 26 which will be explainedhereinafter.

The main drive shaft bearing 36 is in the center of the machine. It isto be noted that this is also a support for the drive shaft 31 and alsoa bearing for support for the -sealer cam lever 35. The drive shaft 31has a front bearing 37. The drive shaft 31 also has a rear bearing 38.These bearings support the drive shaft and a cable control cam lever 39controls the size of the con- When the cam lever 39 actuates the variouscables it is necessary to have the cables return to their normalpositions. The cable control bias spring 40 performs this function forthe cam lever 39. In the cable control cam lever 39 is a slot 41. In theslot 41 is an adjustment bolt 42. The location of the adjustment bolt 42inside the slot 41 effectively controls the stroke of the slide 128 andthereby controls the amount of opening in the pouches as they are passeddown the machine towards the chute 131. It is obvious that the reasonfor changing the size of the opening in the pouch is because differ enttypes of goods may be inserted therein through the chute 68. The cam 43,of course, actuates the arm 39. In order to make the cam 43 adjustable,there is mounted next to it on the shaft 31 a cam adjusting clamp 44.This is of the conventional type. The purpose of this adjustment is, ofcourse, for getting the stroking to be synchro nized or to be timedproperly when other functions are taking place at the same time.

Reference is made particularly to the view of Figure 18; There is a cam47 which comprises two cams, face to face, between the clamps 48. Thispermits the dwell upon the periphery of the cams to be adjustable.Forward of the cam assembly 47 is the cable control 45 for closing andholding the bar clamps 122 and 130. Attached to this cable control 45 isthe cam roll stud 45a; which is actuated, obviously, by the cam 47. Thecable control bias spring 46 functions so that it will return cablecontrol 45 to its normal position after having been The motor 25 inthe-embodiment shown is a convenactuated by the cam assembly 47.

"infFigure 19 can be seen'the cam iadjusting'clamp 49 mounted proximatethe sealer cam 50. This can also 'be seen'in the view of Figure 25.

Reference is now made to the view of Figure 18. On

stud 45a is a shaft 54 which is interconnected with a discloses thevarious cables. Proximate and to the right of the coupling block 22 isanother coupling block 23. From the coupling block 23 arises the cables129 and 125.

FEED AND SEALING MECHANISM A horizontal feed rack 58 can be seen in theview of Figure 20 and also Figure 22. In Figure 24 rack 58 is showninterconnected with arm 59 by means of the pin 172. Rack 58 receives itsmotion from vertical rack 56 through gear 55 as shown in Figure 26. Theother end of the arm 59 is connected with the sealer mechanismconversion shaft 60. This latter connection is seen both in the views ofFigures 22, 29, and-26. At each end of Shaft 60 is a rack pinion 61,which will hereinafter be referred to as the lower rack pinion todistinguish it from the upper rack pinion 66. A lower control rack 62meshes with the teeth of the pinion 61. As can be seen in the view ofFigure 22 the rack 62 is on both sides of the machine and above the maindrive shaft 31.

In the view of Figurel sprocket 63 can be seen, mounted on the shaft611. A chain 64 meshes with the lower sprocket 63 and also completes itsorbit by meshing with the upper sprocket 65 which is mounted on theupper shaft 90. This latter structure is apparent in the view of Figurel and, in detail, in the views of Figures 23 and 26. The upper rack 67is somewhat similarto the lower rack 62. The pinion 65 on shaft 90meshes with the upper rack 67 and also on each side of the machine forthe reasons that will be explained in detail hereinafter.

Reference is now made to the view of Figure 22 to show the generallocation of the components to be discussed and to the view of Figure 24to show the detail of structure of said components. The rack gear studshaft 70 which is inside of the pinion 74 in housing 73 meshes withcenter slide 71 and outer slide 75 and the other of the two studsmesheswith the center slide 71 and the outer slide 76. The segment 35a,actuating rack 24, is attached to the outer end of center slide 71 asshown in Figure 26.

Many of the elements in the drawings have been somewhat concealedbecause of housings and other elements appearing in front of them to theviewer. Accordingly the schematic view of Figure 26 has been employed toshow many of the moving parts which are actually the heart of themachine. Often times reference will be made hereinafter to elements thatcannot be seen in some of the views referred to and these elements willbe obvious in the view of Figure 26.

The sealer clamping drive racks 81 mesh with the sealer clamping rackgear 82, which is mounted on the lower end of shaft 34. The shaft 84oscillates and is often referred to hereinafter as the sealer clampingpinion shaft. A block 83 extends downwardly from the sealer clampingdrive racks 81 and is dimensioned to fit within the confines of theopening slide of sealer rack cam tracks 170 and 171. Bias spring 173,mounted on stud 17 5, controls the return motion of slides 71, 75 and76.

. In Figure 17 can be seen the sealer lower drive bracket 85. Shaft 84enters the sealer lower drive bracket 85 and has mounted somewhat withinthe bracket the pinion 86d which meshes with the reciprocating lowerracks 87 which as will be explained hereinafter operates the sealerassembly. Up above 36d onshaft 84 is the pinion 86. Pinion 86 mesheswith thereciprocating upper racks "89 6 which also assist in theoperation of the sealer assembly. A top bracket 94 is similar instructure to the lower bracket 85. (See Figure 3.) It is necessary tokeep the upper and lower portions of this assembly that We are nowdiscussing in a stationary and secure position. A fixed post 88 tiesthese brackets together to satisfy this requirement. Mounted on racks 87and 89 are the sealer spring clamps 91. These can be seen clearly in theview of Figure 17, Figure 1 and particularly the location of the clamps91 can be seen by looking at'the racks $9 and S7 in the schematic viewof Figure 26.

Reference is now made to the schematic view of Figure 2 and the rightside thereof wherein is shown the top view of the sealer spring clamp91. In order to obtain the heat for sealing, the clamp 91 has a heatinghead mounted thereon and within the heating head is a heating element92. This is shown schematically and is wen known and conventional. Thestructure can be seen inthe views of Figures 8 and 13. Mounted onbrackets and 94 is a guide shoe 93. The purpose of the guide shoe 93 isto steady the apparatus in a lateral position.

In Figure 21 is shown the last sealer assembly connecting rods 95. Thesecan be seen schematically in the views of Figure 2, and the structurecan also be seen in the views of Figure 23.

The last sealer assembly (see Figure 21) comprises the last sealerbracket housing 102 which is mounted on the rollers 105. The heaterelement 103 is mounted in the last sealer head 136. The heater clamp 104is opposite head 136. The temperature of the heater element 103 iscontrolled by a thermostat 106 by the 'position'of the adjustment of theknob 108.

As can be seen, the discharge bottom board 133 is made of twoipieces andguides the bag withthe contents therein down the machine towards thechute 131. The board 133 also helps support the bag in the event thatthe material therein may give it extra weight. With'the type of bagsthat are formed in this machine it is preferred, as already mentioned,to use a material that is easily sealed by heat. Accordingly, near theend of the machine is located a last sealer head 136 which has in it aheating element for sealing the two top edges of the bag that wereopened previously by the head 128. As

can be seen in the view of Figure 1, the far end of the machine ismounted on rollers which are connected 'by support 107. Also supportingthe last sealer head 136 is the support 137. Reference may also be madeto the view of Figure 21.

THE WEB FOLDING AND FEEDING MECHANISM Reference is now made to the viewsof both Figure 1 and particularly the details in the view of Figure 20.The web roll tension belt shaft 78 has mounted thereupon the web rollbreak tape 112. The tape 112 exerts a tension upon the roll of web orpaper 111 which is mounted on the shaft 110. At both ends of the shaftare the web 'roll flanges 79 for preventing the roll of web or paperfrom sliding laterally on its roll. The shaft 110 is mounted for easy,frictionless support on the web roll support bracket 80.

The web or paper for making the pouch material ".111 passes over thepaper guide roll 113 before being folded over the V-shaped paper folder114. After the paper 111 passes over the V-shaped paper folder 114, theweb of paper material is brought together between the vertical guideroll 115. The adjustment 116 controls the movement or the tilt of thevertical guide roll 115. This adjustment 116 is clearlyshown in theviews of Figures 1 and 14. The adjustment 116 is mounted into the bar 18and is controlled by the movement of the nut 116 on the bar 18. There isa further adjustment for the vertical guide roll 115 which is indicatedin the lower portion of Figure 1 as 117. This will be referred to :asalocking bolt 117. There is, of course, one on each side o'fthe machine.

7 POUCH OPENING CABLE DRIVE Reference is made particularly to the viewof Figure 18, at this point. In Figure 18 can be seen the fixed rack 118which will be referred to as the pouch opening cable rack 118. There isa rack 118 on each side of the machine. Meshing with the rack 11% is thepouch open cable pinion 119 which is mounted on the pouch open cablepinion shaft 120. The pouch open cable pinion shaft 120 moves within theslot 119:: which is mounted on the pouch opening support vertical member152. Behind the vertical bar 152 is a sliding bar on each side thereofwhich is indicated by the numeral 120:; and which can be seen in theview of Figure 1.

At the top of this slide bar 120a is fixed securely the inner cable ofthe cable housing assembly 129. The bar moves with the shaft 120.Obviously the cable inside of the cable housing 129 will also move. Thereason for the rack and the pinion arrangement and the shaft 120 is togivea balance to keep an equal amount of motion on both sides of themachine in both of the cables 129. As the operation of the machine isexplained hereinafter, this will be explained in more detail.

WEB FEED CONTROL MECHANISM BEFORE POUCH OPENING The heart of the motionof the machine, is obtained by the paper feeding clamps 121. Theseclamps 121 which can be seen schematically in the view of Figures 4-13and also in the view of Figure 23 have a unique motion. The clamps 121will move in a clamped position a predetermined distance down themachine with the paper web, will open, and then will return to theirprevious. positions and start the cycle all over again. This will beexplained in the operation of the machine hereinafter. Working closelywith the clamps 121 are the stationary web' holding clamps 122. Clamps121 are supportedby the bracket 105 and are directly connected to sealerheads 91 and 92 near the top, and to the lower end of top sealer heads103 and 104. These clamps 122 do not move down the machine, but they doopen and close. Their movement is synchronized properly and timedproperly with the movement of the clamps 121. That is to say, when theclamps 121 are not holding the paper web, the clamps 122 are in closedposition and are holding the web. This gives the clamps 121 anopportunity to return to their normal position prior to starting thecycle.

In order for the clamps 122 to open and close, it is necessary that amechanism push and pull them from their outside to their insideposition. Accordingly, reference is made to the view of Figure 23wherein is shown the push and pull rack slides 123 and 124. These rackslides 123 and 124 are controlled by the cable assembly which isindicated by the numeral 134 in Figure 19.

The rack slides 123 and 124 are assisted into their outermost positionby the spring action of the springs 123a and 124a. (See Figure 23.)

POUCH OPENING MECHANISM As the bags or pouches have been formed and arepassing down the machine towards the chute 131, it is necessary at aparticular location to have the bag opened. Accordingly, there is alsoprovided in the machine an ingenious arrangement for opening the bagsbefore the garment or the item is to be inserted. Reference is madeparticularly to the view of Figure 23 wherein is shown the pouch openingslide 127 which controls the opener arrangement 128. The openerarrangement 128 can be very easily and clearly understood by the view ofFigure 6 and Figure 11. Actually, there is a clasp at the bottom of 128which pulls the bag apart as the slide arrangement 127 moves outwardly.The machine is so timed-that the bag opening will remain apart for partof one cycle when using an automatic feeding system until the next bagis moved into position. This, of course, is subject to being set fortiming by the operator and which will be explained hereinafter. Thecable 129 which has been referred to previously controls the motion ofthe pouch opening slide 127 which ultimately opens and t closes the bag.It is rather obvious that if the bag does not have any slack when theopening head 128 grabs the bag and spreads the two sides apart, the bagis likely to tear it it is not made of a resilient or strong material.

Reference is made to views of Figure 4 and Figure 5 and also the view ofFigure 23 wherein is shown the clamps numbered 130.

These clamps 130 operate similarly to clamp 122 in that they open andclose. However, upon closing, they push rearwardly; that is to say thatthey push back towards the bag forcing the bag next to it to have slackso that when the head 123 is grabbing the bag to spread it apart andopen it, there will be slack available in the bag so that it 'will nottear. Once the bag has been filled; the clamps 131B recover the previousallowed slack in the web. The filled bag is passed along to a point onthe machine above the discharge chute 131; and when the machine finallyseals the top of the bag and severs the bag from the other bags in theweb, it is dropped down the chute 131.

In the drawings, particularly in Figure l the item to be used in thebags has been shown as folded shirts which are given the number 132.

A dischar'ge'bottom 'bo'ard 133which can be seen schematically in theFigures 1,9, 10, 11 and 12, acts as a support and guide for the bag thathas become filled with the contents.

WEB FEEI) CONTROL MECHANISM AFTER POUCH OPENING The reciprocating paperclamp assembly 130, is con trolled by the rack slide bar 139. The rackslide bar 139 is on each side of the machine, and the two slide bars 139are tied together by the tie bars 138 which are fixed and do not moveexcept with the racks, or slide bars 139. Slides 139 obtain theirreciprocating motion from the fixed pinion 140 which is mounted torotate on the shaft 141. Connected to the rack 139 is a block 143 whichinterconnects with the inner cable of the cable 125. The cable 125 hasmounted at its end a block 142 which prevents the cable from moving morethan a predetermined distance between the coupling 143 and its ownhousing 125.

The block 142 is connected on the side of the reciproeating paper clampframe 151. Cable 135 controls the motion of the rack slide assemblywhich consists of a center slide rack 144 which meshes through thepinions not shown with the outer slide racks 145. The pinions which arenot shown are located within the housing 149 and are conventional andmesh with the teeth part of which are shown on the racks 144 and 14S.Mounted on the slides 144 and 145 are the clamp supports on couplers 146and 147 respectively. These clamp supports or couplers are secured tothe clamping assembly 130. That is to say that when 130 moves in andout, it is moved in and out because of the motion of the sliding racks144 and 145, which are secured thereto through the couples or clamps 146and 147. There are located on the slides 145 bias springs 148 whichreturn the slides to their normal position upon completing the cycleunder the control of the cable 135. The slides 144 and 145 are secured,guided, and controlled by the bearing slots 14') of which there are fourstrategically located at the end of each slide, 144 and 145, andattached to the slack rack 139.

Reference is made to the view of Figure 23 wherein a bias spring 150 isused for tensioning the cable 125. This spring 150 is, of course,employed to return the cable 125 to its normal position.

POUCH FILLING As previously mentioned, when the bag is open on the head128, it is necessary for the bag to remain open sufiiciently long enoughfor the operator or the device that will eventually feed the subjectmatter into the bag to carry out its function. A one revolution clutch72clearly shown in the view of Figure 22 has been employed to carry outthis function.

The one revolution clutch '72 will continue to keep the machine in itsopen cycle until such time as the operator energizes an electricalcircuit which will cause the clutch to disengage and permit the machineto continue in its ordinary cycle of operation. It is contemplated inthis embodiment of the machine that a human operator will feed thematerial to the bag and that she or he will engage an electrical buttonto cycle the machine and control the operation of the one revolutionclutch '72. In an automatic arrangement, obviously, the one revolutionclutch 72 would be either eliminat d or modified, and the onlyrequirement would be the synchronization of the filling of the pouch.

OPERATION OF MACHINE (a) Web feeding In operation the paper or materialthat isgoing to be used to form the pouch or the bag is loaded onto theshaft 110. The paper reel shaft 118 is mounted on the brackets 89. Theshaft 118 will roll loosely and freely on the brackets 88, subject tothe tension exerted upon it-by the spring loaded belt 112 which istied'toan adjustable tension on shaft 78. it is, of course, alsoanchored on the horizontal bar 8. This is seen in the view of Figure 1,along the right side thereof. The operator then takes the end of thepaper or web and draws it over the guide roll 113, and weaves it aroundand over the V-shaped paper guide 334 as shown in the view of Figure 14.The web is then drawn through the vertical roll 115. At this stage thereis a fold along the bottom and the two lateral sides of the web. (SeeFigures 1 and 19.)

(1)) First sealing operation The web is then taken by the operator andplaced at the beginning of the first sealer mechanism which is shown inthe View of Figure 2 with the notations Figures 8 and 13. The sealermechanism 91 and 92 isproxirnate the web that is fed between and throughthe roll 115 as already mentioned. The sealer spring clamp assembly 91and the heater element 92 are pushed together so that they are on eachside of the folded web and force the folded web into contact with eachof its sides. The heat from the heating head 92 will cause the sides ofthe web to seal under the high temperature of the .heat in the head 92.In order to get the heat sealer head 92 to contact the heat sealerelement 91 the following operation takes place with respect to thevarious transmission parts in the machine.

The motor 25 has been turned on and is operating the pulley 28 which, inturn, is transmitting motion into the gear box 343 which rotates themain drive shaft 31, The main drive shaft 31, as already mentioned, hasmounted thereupon it the crank lever 33.

Reference is made at this point to the view of Figure 26 as well ,as theviews of Figure 22 and Figure 20. As has. already been explained, thereis a slotted opening in the arm 32. The location of the crank 33 inthisopening determines the size of the stroke of the crank. As will beexplained hereinafter, the size of the stroke determines the width ofthe bag. The shaft 31 is rotating and operates the crank 33 so that thecrank 33 moves the lever arm 32. The lever arm 32 is integral with thevertical rack slide 56. The amount of stroke of the lever 32 determinesthe amount of displacement or motion of the rack slide 56; that is tosay that the rack slide 56 will move the distance that the stroke of arm32 is moved. It isobvious from the view of Figure 26'that the rack'56moves only in "a vertical direction, upwardly-slowdownwardly. Rack 56meshes with the pinion 55. Pinion 55 is in a fixed position andaccordinglyimparts motion because it meshes with rack 58. The motionimparted by the pinion'55 to rack 58 causes rack 58 to move'in thedirection of the arrows in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the planein which the rack 56 has been moving. The rack 58 is tied integrallywith the sealer mechanism conversion shaft 60. As can be seen, thesha'ft60 rides on the two pinions 61. The pinions 61 move on the racks 62.Mounted also on the shaft 60 is a sprocket 63. The sprocket 63 hasmeshing with it a chain 64 which meshes with an upper sprocket 65. Theupper sprocket 65 is mounted on the upper sealer conversion shaft 95).Also mounted on shaft 90 are the pinionsf66 which ride and rotate overthe fixed racks 67.

It is obvious that as the rack 58 reciprocates back and forth underthemotion of the lever shaft 32, it transmits a rotary motion to theshaft and of course obviously to the sprocket 63. The sprocket 63 sinceit is turning also turns the chain 64 which turns the sprocket 65 on theupper shaft 9%. Since the sprocket 65 on the upper shaft 99 is integralwith the shaft 90, the shaft 90 will rotate the pinions 66, andaccordingly the pinions 66 will move on the fixed racks 67.

It is interesting to note at this point that the shaft 60 and the shaft9% are in a plane which is perpendicular to the rack 62 and the rack 67.The reason that the shaft 969 and the shaft 60 are in the same plane isbecause the variouselements are mounted thereupon; and as a result, themotion of shaft 90 andshaft 60 must be identical. Otherwise, the variouscomponent partsthat interconnect between these shafts and that aremounted thereupon would bend out of shape, or would not be in perfectalignment or proper registration.

Reference is made at thispoint to the view of Figure 3 wherein is shownthe lower sealer drive bracket and the upper sealer drive bracket 94.Inside of these brackets 85 and 94 are slots for receiving the lowerreciprocating rack 87 and the upper reciprocating rack 89. It is alsoimportant to note that the lower bracket 85 .is mounted upon the shaft60 andthat the upper braoket'94 is mounted upon the shaft 90. Obviously,as the shafts 90 and 6t) rotate and reciprocate back and forth overtheir respective racks, the brackets 85 and 94 move with them.

The sealer clamps, element 91 and head 92 are mounted on each side ofthe machine. The sealer element 91 has its upper portion interconnectedwith therack slide 89 and has its lower portion interconnected with therack slide 87. On the other .side of the machine, the sealer head 92 hasalso its upper portion interconnected with the slide 89 and at the lowerportion, the slide 87.

In the view of Figure 26, it is shown that the rack slides 89 and alsothe rack slides 87 mesh with the pinions 86 and 86a respectively on theshaft 84. It is obvious that when one slide rack 89 is moving in onedirection the other rack 89 must move in the'opposite direction. This isa similar situation at the lower portion where the rack 87 in the frontis moving in one direction and the rack'87 in the rear must move in theother direction. It is also obvious that the sealer element 91 must beconnected on one side of the shaft 84 and that the sealer head 92 mustbe connected on the other side of the shaft 84 so that the movement of91 and 92 will be either away from each other or toward each other.

The shaft 84 controls the reciprocating motion of the racks 87 and 89which control the proximity of the sealer clamps, element 91 and head92. The shaft 84 obtains its rotary motion from the gear'82, The gear 82obtains its motion from the racks 81 which obtain their motion from themoving in and out of the slides 174) and 171-as already mentioned. Theslides and 171 are mounted on the slide assembly comprising the rackslides 71,.75 and 76. These slides 71, 75 and 76 obtain theirmotion fromthe cam lever segment 35a which obtainsits 1210-- tion from the cam 50which is mounted on the main drive shaft 31.

It is rather obvious that when the cam 50 aetuates the cam segment 35a,eventually there will be rotational motion of the shaft 84 and of coursethe moving back and forth of the racks 89 which are mounting the sealerclamps, element 91 and head 92. When the racks 89 and 87 are moving backand forth the sealer clamps 91 and 92 are moving back and forth to apoint where they contact each other, emit heat, seal the forward edge ofone bag, and the rearward edge of the preceding bag and then separate.

An important feature in this operation is the fact that the slide racks89 underthe control of the shaft 84 do not move while the upper shaft 90and the lower shaft 60 are moving forwardly on the racks 67 and 62respectively. The reasonthat the shaft 84 is not moving is because thereis no lateral motion forcing the slides 170 and 171 together since atthat point the cam 50 is not transmitting any motion to the segment 35a.

First cutting At the time that the first sealer assembly clamps, element91 and head 92, are making engagement with each other and making theseal along the seam, there is also a cutting operation that takes place.This is done by a conventional type of saw tooth knife that runs downthe length of the clamp element 91. Actually there are two segments ofthe clamp element 91 on each side of the blade, and when the clampelement 91 contacts the surface through the paper of the clamp head 92,the saw tooth blade will continue to push forward into the inlet in theclamp head 92, cutting :the web that might be located in between the twoclamps; As previously stated, this is not a new method of cutting and iswell known in other machines. The knife cutting edge, which isconventional, has'an idiosyncrasy which is peculiar to this machine andwhich makes this machine the success that it is. Near the upper marginof the'web or it might be said near the upper portion of the blade thereis a half moon shape in the blade.

Reference is made to the views of Figures 15 and 16 which shows what thepaper or web looks like after the blade has cut through the area wherethe bag edges have been scaled. It is to be noted that because of theshape of the blade, there is a half moon shape cut in the upper marginof the web or paper. At this point, reference is made to the view ofFigure 16. It can be seen from the view of Figure 16 that the half moonshape has no edge facing vertically of the bag but rather parallel ofthe top surface edge of the bag. With this type of a cut, the web or thepaper will not tear or rip from the weight that may be placed in it orfrom the pull that is put upon it as it passes down the machine. It isthis type of cut that assists in making the operation of this machine soefficient.

(d) Last sealing and final cutting Eventually the bag, which stillremains open at the top, reaches the end of the machine through certainclamping operations which will be explained shortly. Because the lastsealer assembly which seals the horizontal or top margin of the bagoperates synchronously both in time and location with the first sealerclamps 92 and 92, it is expedient at this time to explain the operationof last sealer clamps 136 and 104. When the bag has reached the positionnearest the chute 131, the garment has already been inserted therein andit is time to seal and sever the bag. The last sealer clamps 136 and 104seal the bag as shown in Figure 15 by the horizontal line's therein andalso cut the uncut portion above the half moon shape, separating the bagcompletely from the other connected'bags which are shown in the view ofFigure 3. r

The operation of thelast sealer c1amps 104 and 136 is quite similar tothe operation of the first sealer clamps 91 and 92; It is to be kept inmind, however, that the heating elements and the sealing clamps in thisinstance are horizontal rather than vertical. In order to impart motionto the last sealer clamps 104 and 136, reference is again made to theschematic view of Figure 26. In Figure 26 as can be seen the verticalshaft 84 is rotating as previously described. Attached to the shaft 84at the top is a gear 86a. Meshing with the gear 86a are two racks 100which face each other. These racks 100 mesh with another gear 86b whichgear is mounted on a vertical shaft 99. At the bottom of the verticalshaft 99 is another gear 860 which meshes with the racks 96. It isobvious that the location of the shaft 84 will cause the racks 100 toimpart motion to the gear 86b which will impart motion through the shaft99 to the gear 860 which will impart motion to the racks 96.

Reference is made at this pointto the view of Figure 2 wherein is shownthe sealer head 136 and the clamp 104. The sealer head 136 and clamp 104are, respectively, mounted on each of the racks 96. As can be seen, asthe racks 96 move, one of them is moving in one direction and the otherin the opposite direction. The head 136 and the clamp 104 will movetoward each other giving the same type of operation as the clamp andhead in the first sealer assembly, 91 and 92. The operation of the lastsealer assembly is therefore very similar to the operation of the firstsealer assembly. This is because of the tie rods which are shownschematically in the view of Figure 2. The tie rods 95 push the sealermechanisms back and forth and parallel to the motion of the moving paperor web.

(e) Web control mechanism Althoughwe have gone out of step so to speakwith the operation, because it was expedient to dose, the actual nextstep after the web has been initially sealed by the clamps 91 and 92 isfor the web to move down the machine towards the feed chute 63.Naturally there is no bag formed until the first sealer clamps, element91 and head 92 have sealed two sides of the bag together. This can beseen clearly in the view of Figure 3. If the bag has been sealed on bothedges, it must be carried down the machine so that the garment 132 maybe inserted and so that eventually the last sealer clamps 104 and 136,already explained, will operate and dis engage the bag so that it maydrop down the chute 131. It is the mechanism that carries the completedbut open pouch down the machine that we will now describe.

The clamps 121 are physically connected to the first sealer clamps 91and 92 and the last sealer clamps 104 and 136. Actually a single clamp121 is on each side of the machine and each clamp 121 runs through thelength of the machine. Clamp 121 is connected to the last sealer clampsat 109, and the first sealer at the side of the sealer spring clampelement 91 and the head 92. As can be seen both the first and lastsealers will move one complete position or the width of a bag. Theheater element takes the length of time of the movement of one positionto complete its operation of sealing the two sides of the web together.Accordingly the clamps 121 will move one'position down the machine. Assoon as the sealing clamps 104 and 136 in the last assembly and 91 and92 in the first assembly separate, clamps 121 will separate also andwill return back down the machine to their previous position beforestarting another cycle. Reference is made to the views of Figures 4-8which clearly show schematically the position of the clamp 121 withrelationship to the sealer assemblies and the operations thereof.

In Figure 8 is shown the top view so to speak in a schematic arrangementof the clamping element 91 and the clamping head 92 of the first sealerassembly. The arrows indicate the motions that elements 91 and 92 takeduring the sealing operation. Similarly, the view 13 of Figure 4 showsthe last sealer assembly arrangement and the heating elements and head104 and 136. The arrows again indicate the motion that element 104 andhead 136 take. Reference is also made now to the view of Figure 5 andthe lower view of Figure which shows the motion of the clamps 121. Ascan be seen, the clamps 121 operate synchronously with the motion of thesealer assemblies as shown in Figure 8 and Figure 4. That is to say,that when the sealer assemblies of both Figure 8 and Figure 4, being thefirst and last sealer assemblies, move inwardly and contact the web orpaper, move forwardly, outwardly, and return, the

clamps 121 follow the same motion.

. It is obvious that when the clamps 121 are in their outward position,other clamps or means must be used to hold the bags or pouches togetheras the bags move down the machine. Accordingly, the reciprocating clamps130 are employed. As can be seen in the view of Figure 5, thereciprocating clamps 130, are always in a closed position when theclamps 121 are in an open position. When the clamps 121 close, theclamps 130 open.

Reference is made to the view of Figure 12 which shows the position ofclamps 122. Clamps 122 move in the direction of the arrows which arealong the slide racks 124 and 123. It can be seen in Figure 12 that whenthe clamps 121 are in an outward position, the clamps 122 are in aninward or closed position. The clamps 122 are employed to hold the webuntil the clamps 121 have completed the cycle as shown by the arrows inFigure 5. It is apparent that at all times either the clamps 122 or theclamps 121 are holding the web and supporting it as shown in the viewofFigure 3.

(f) Pouch opening The next step in the operation of the machine is theopening of the pouch or bag to permit the garment to be placed therein.Reference is made to the view of Figure 6 that shows how the pouch orbag is opened. In order to have the pouch or bag open in the position asshown in Figure 6, it is necessary to push back on the bag with clamps.The clamps 130 are used to push back and are indicated in Figure 10while holding the web. The path of the clamps 130 is shown in the viewof. Figure 5. Clamps 130 operate synchronously with clamps 122 insofaras the closing and opening motion isconcerned. However, clamps 1311,after they have closed, and made engagement with the web, back up in thedirection of the arrows of Figure 5. When clamps 130 back up in thedirection of the arrows of Figure 5, being located as shown in Figure 3,at the position of the. garment 132, the backing up operation pushesback the web, providing slack so that the bag opener 123, as shown inFigures 6 and 11, will spread apart the top seams of the pouch which hasalready been formed by the first heater clamps 91 and 92. As can be seenin the view of Figure 6, the opening is sufiiciently large to enable thegarment 132 to be inserted therein. Clamps 122 and 130 are operated bythe various cables which have before been referred to and described. Theoperation of the clamps through the cables and from the transmissionsystem is as follows:

THE OPERATION OF THE CLAMPS 122 The clamps 122 are controlled by thecables 134. The cables 134 are actually within a housing and areconnected nearest the clamps 122 at the holding clamp frame 153 which isseen clearly in the view of the Figure 19. The lower end of cable 134-is connected in the cable coupling block 22 which can be seen in theview of Figure 25.

At this point, reference is made to view of'Figure 18 whichat the top,just below the notation Figure 18, can beseen the lower portion of thecable coupling block 22. The cable coupling block 22 is secured to theshaft referred to previously as the cable drive connecting shaft: 54.The shaft 54 is connected; to shaft 45ain the cam, lever 45. The camlever 45 is actuated by the cam 47; which is mounted on the main driveshaft 31. It is ,obvious that when the cam 4'7 abuts and engages thelever 45, it transmits motion to the lever 45 and to the shaft 54 andaccordingly actuates the cable 134. At thetop beyond the holding clampframe 153 the cable 134 is. connected integrally with the slide rack123. A pinion, not shown meshes with the teeth on the rack 123 whichalso meshes with another slide 124. This portion of; the machine can beseen in the view of Figure 23. Clamps 122 are secured to the slide racks123 and 124. When the racks 123 and 124move,.they move in oppo-- sitedirections to each other. Obviously, since the. clamps 122 are securedto each of these slide racks, the.- clamps 122 will open and close asthe racks 123 and 124 are moved by thecable 134. Itis obvious-that thecam 47 controls the timing of the motion of the cable, 134.

THE RECIPROCATING OPERATION OF CLAMPS WITH THE POUCH OPENING The openingand closing of the clamps 130 on the web is controlled by the cable 135.Cable receives its motion from the cable coupling unit 22 just as did.

135 engages the slide rack 144. Th slide rack144-has;

teeth upon its outer edges. The teeth upon the outer edges of the slide144 mesh with a pinion not shown, and the pinion not shown, engages theteeth of the outer slide racks 145, The clamps 130 are secured to.

the outer rack slides 145 by means of the bracket clamps 147. The centerslides 144 is secured to the clamps 130 by means of the clamp bracket146. When the cable 135 is actuated off the transmission shaft by thecam47, it imparts motion to the center slide 144 shown in Figure 21. Thecenter slide 144 as it moves operates pinions on each of its sides whichturn and which mesh with the outer slide racks 1 45. The outer slideracks 145 accordingly move in an opposite direction from the centerslide 144. Because the clamps 130 are secured to the outer slides 145and the center slide 144, the opposite motion of the slide 144 from theslides 145 will cause the moving in and out of the clamps 130.

The clamps 131 as indicated in the schematic diagram of Figure 5 alsomove besides in an outward and inward direction, in a forward andrearward direction. cables that control the forward and rearwarddirection of the clamps 130 are shown in the view of Figures 19 p Thiscable is referred to as cable 125. Cableand 21. 125 derives its originalmotion from the cam 43 which is shown clearly in the view of Figure 18.The cam 43 operates the lever arm 39 which has a slot therein. Inside ofthe slot is a moveable stud 42. The moveable stud 42 connects with aslide 119a in the bracket 152. This slide 1191: operates the shaft 120which operates the gear 119 and the rack 118. Slide 12811 which is shownin the view of Figure l and which is in the slot 112a connects with thecable coupler 23. The cable 125 is interconnected with the cable coupler23 and it is connected at the top of the-machine as showninthe view.

of Figure 21 with the cable housing support 142. It is alsointerconnected with the cable coupling 143. The

cable coupling 143 is connected with the rack 139.1 .The

in the view of Figure 21, the shaft 1 41 extends across the machine andhas a similar arrangement on the far The sesame" side,- not shown.Accordingly a similar rack slide 139 141. Both of the slide racks 139move back and forth with the cable 125. The displacement of the motionof the rack 139 is the displacement of the cable 125. There are severalelements mounted on the rack slides 139 including the clamps 130 as canbe seen in the view of Figure 21. The reciprocating clamps 130 aremounted completely between the two slide racks 139. The bearings 149 areintegrally attached on each side of the machine to slide racks 139 andaccordingly move and oscillate or reciprocate back and forth with themotion of the slide racks 139. Slides 144 and 145 are mounted in thebearing block 149. Accordingly the motion of the reciprocating clamps130 is controlled both by the cable 125 and 135.

As previously mentioned the operation of the reciprocating clamps 130has a unique function. Just prior to the opening of the pouch or bag bythe bag or pouch opener 128, it is necessary to push back on the bag asshown in the view of Figure 6. The reason for this is to obtain slack sothat when the bag or pouch opener 128 separates the sides of the web, itwill not tear the bag or pouch. Motion is given by the use of the cable129. Reference is made to the view of Figure 25 which shows that thecables 129 receive their motion from the cam 43 as did the cable 125.The cables 129 obtain their motion from the coupler 23 which is alreadymentioned and described in the operation and the cable 125 obtains thismotion through the slide and slot 120a and 119a. Cables 129 go from thecoupler 23 to the pouch opening bracket 126 which is seen clearly in theview of Figures 19 and 23. Cables 129 are connected to the pouch openingslide 127 as shown clearly in the view of Figure 2 where it is indicatedFigures 6 and 11. As can be seen the slide 127 supports the pouch opener128.

SUMMARY Heretofore in this specification the separate functions of themachine have been explained independently of each other. Actuallyseveral operations are being carried out simultaneously.

When the clamps 121 have closed and start to move towards the chute 131away from the web roll 111, the following functions are taking placesimultaneously:

(1) The first sealer assembly, 91 and] 92, clamps the two sheets of theweb together, and start to seal the vertical margins to form the bag andcut same as described.

(2) The last sealer assembly, 104 and 136, clamps the top horizontalmargin of the last bag and severs same from the other connected bags.

(3) The other intermediate bags are being carried by the clamps 121 torespective positions between the sealing assemblies and also beneath thefilling station.

(4) When the clamps 121 have moved to their farthest position of theirstroke, clamps 130 and clamps 122 clamp the web and hold it while clamps121 separate and reciprocate back toward their starting position.

(5) At the moment clamps 130 engage the web, they push back the web. Atthis same moment of this pushing back on the web by clamps 130 the pouchopeners 128 are separating. It is noted that the backward motion ofclamps 130 and the outward motion of pouch openers 128 are synchronizedbecause they both receive their motion from cam 43. While this pouchopening is going on clamps 122 are holding the web stationary in frontof the pouch opening. As soon as the pouch opening operation has beencompleted (clamps 130 have reached their furthest push back position andbag opene'rs 128 have reached their outermost position), the machinestops because of the one revolution clutch 72. At this time, theoperator inserts the contents into the bag. The operator, after havingdone so, energizes 16 solenoid 34 which releases one revolution clutch72 and the machine starts another cycle. The following takes placesimultaneously:

(1) The pouch openers 128 close back.

(2) The clamps 130 return to their forward position and remain clampedon the web until the heat sealer assembly on clamps 121 contact the web.

(3) Clamps 121 are returning to their starting position.

It is to be understood that the embodiment herein disclosed is by amethod of hand filling. It is contemplated and within the spirit andscope of this invention that the machine may be automatically fed andthereby eliminating the use of a clutch and intermittent operation.

Dimensions in the drawing have been exaggerated to teach more clearlythe invention.

We claim:

1. A bag making, filling and closing machine comprising a source of webmaterial, means for folding the web material, means for sealing the webmaterial so as to close the web on the forward and rearward edges of twobags in a single operation, means for severing the two sealed edgessimultaneously with the sealing so as to leave an uncut portion alongthe mouth edge of the bag, means for advancing the partially formed andpartially cut bags into a filling position, means for opening the mouthof the bag in preparation for filling, and means for finally sealing thetop edge of the bag and finally severing same from the web.

2. A bag making, filling and closing machine com-' prising a source ofweb material, means for folding the web material so as to have a closedportion, means for advancing the web material predetermined distancesintermittently, a first sealing means for closing the rearward verticaledge of one bag and the forward vertical edge of a proximate bag, saidsealing means operating while said web is being advanced, said sealingmeans including additional means for cutting the web so as to sever thebags centrally between the seals and so as to leave the bags connectedto each other along the open mouth of the bag, means for opening themouth of the bag, means for sealing the mouth of the bag and means forsevering the bag from the web.

3. A bag making, filling and closing machine comprising a source ofcontinuous web material, means for forming a double web and closing thebottom edge of said double web, means for intermittently advancing thedouble web predetermined distances, means for vertical ly securing theweb together at predetermined locations forming adjacent sides ofseparate bags, means for partially cutting the secured adjacent sidesfrom one another, whereby a plurality of connected bags are formed inthe web, means for securing the top edge of the last bag in the web andcutting same from the web, and means for synchronizing the function ofthe top edge securing means with the vertical securing means whereby thesaid functions of said means are taking place simultaneously as the webadvances.

4. A bag making, filling and closing machine comprising a source ofcontinuous web material, means for forming a double web and closing thebottom edge of said double web, means for intermittently advancing thedouble web predetermined distances, vertical means for securing thedouble web together and forming adjacent sides of separate bags, saidvertical means providing means for partially cutting the adjacent sidesof said bags from one another, said vertical means operating as the webis advancing, whereby a plurality of connected bags are formed in theweb, horizontal means for securing the top edge of the last bag in theweb, said horizontal means providing means for severing the last bagfrom the web, a control means for causing said vertical and horizontalmeans to operate simultaneously as the web advances.

